Barack Obama has said it and in just over two more weeks he’ll be able to prove it: green jobs will be the key to this economy going forward. In October 2008, the Conference of Mayors came out with the Green Jobs Report.
Two of the facts stated in the report are that by 2030, there will be 36 million more new homes built in the U. S. and constructed will be 20 billion square feet of new commercial building space. To accommodate such expansion will take massive amounts of new energy (much of which will be renewable energy).
In addition, it will be necessary to put energy conservation at work for the new expansion including retrofitting current homes and commercial buildings with energy saving methods such as insulation, automating thermostats and for the public to take action to conserve by turning off lights and other methods when not in use. Between 2000 and 2006, Energy Star products have gone from selling $600 million to over $2 billion.
The report states that currently there are over 750,000 green jobs in such fields as renewable power generation, engineering and forestry. This number will likely balloon to 4.2 to 5 million jobs over the next 30 years.
Wind energy is the fastest growing segment in the alternative energy field followed by solar energy. According to the report, “The bulk of jobs related to wind infrastructure will come in the manufacturing of equipment.” But, also operation and maintenance will also account for many green jobs as well.
In regard to solar energy most of the jobs are currently in the semi-conductor area with a hefty amount in the Silicon Valley area of Northern California. The Green Jobs Report also calls for increased spending and job growth in the hydropower, geothermal and biomass industries as well.
The year 2009 may well be the time for considering getting in on the ground floor of a new green tech company. When the mantra for the year will be jobs, jobs, jobs heading in the right direction with one’s core values (such as going green) will also be a large consideration when looking for new employment.